Russia's papers, secure in the knowledge that
Vladimir Putin will definitely be the country's next
president, devote much space to Sunday's election and its
aftermath.

The leading Izvestiya daily carries an interview with
presidential chief-of-staff Aleksandr Voloshin, who is asked
whether Mr Putin's preliminary result of 52.64% of the
poll is "a lot or a little".

Mr Yavlinskiy: A clear-cut policy?

"The main thing is that it means victory," Mr Voloshin says, referring to the 50% threshold without which the poll would have gone to a second round.

"Of course, it would have been worse if Putin had got 50% plus one vote. Such a result would have been on a knife's edge. Whereas the result which was achieved gives a certain basis for stability," Mr Voloshin says.

Asked why many continue to complain of the vagueness and
opaqueness of Mr Putin's programme, he retorts: "Well, try
comparing him with his two main rivals, Zyuganov and
Yavlinskiy. Do they have clear cut policies, would you say?"

No politician, on coming to power, can offer 100-per-cent
clarity concerning future actions, he says.

"Sometimes, depending on the situation, you have to do what
you hadn't even considered the day before. But I think that,
with the arrival of Putin, we shall get more definite
actions than in the case of either of his main rivals," Mr Voloshin said.

"Clearly, the democratic path of development will be
continued, there will be a market economy, the market
reforms will go on, although at the same time these will
proceed with the emphasis on solving social problems,
without shock therapy."

The conservative Trud reminds us that Mr Putin's victory was
something of a foregone conclusion.

His was an electoral success predicted as never before, even the victory in the first round was forecast by most analysts.

'Boring elections'

"So let us now ask which of the prognoses were not fulfilled, whose hopes did not come true, whose expectations of that electoral night were dissolved in the first rays of the early-morning sun?" the paper says.

First and foremost, contrary to widespread fears, voter
apathy did not disrupt the poll.

"Indeed it would appear that the mass electorate fully understood the dangers that would follow from a low turnout or from voting against all the candidates," the paper says.

Either of these factors could have lead to a costly second round and a delay in getting the country back on track.

Another prediction which failed to materialise was actually
wishful thinking by supporters of liberal politician
Grigoriy Yavlinskiy, who finished third.

Contrary to their hopes, Mr Yavlinskiy was so far behind, that he was never in a position to beat communist Gennadiy Zyuganov for second place, let alone challenge Mr Putin in a second round.

A further factor - this time a fear - which proved unfounded
in the event was the absence of any notable "terrorist acts"
in Chechnya.

Unless one counts a car bomb in the neighbouring republic of Dagestan, "one could say that on the whole the elections were peaceful, even a little boring".

The only real comment, however, is contained in two lines printed at the very top, above the paper's logo: "We have elected VV Putin to be the new president of Russia. Justify our hopes, Mr President!"

Otherwise, the paper is content to let the facts speak for
themselves.